Cider press and separator.



P. H. BRETZ. CIDER PRESS AND SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED 001.6, 1908.

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Y Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

F. H. BRETZ. CIDER PRESS AND SBPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. a, 1908.

931,728. j Patented Aug". 24, 1909.

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4 V R 314 i 7 x: 13mm iwil/f z UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK H. BRETZ, OF NEW BLOOMFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA.

CIDER PRESS AND SEPARA'IOR.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known'that I, FRANK H. Bnnrz, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Bloomfield, in the county of Perry and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Cider Press and Separator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cider mills and its object is to provide a machine of this character utilizing an endless feed apron for conveying the pomace during the various stages of separation.

Another object is to provide simple and efficient means whereby the crushed apples after leaving the grinding rolls are evenly distributed over the apron prior to their passage between the crushing rollers.

A further object is to provide means for automatically cleaning the apron subse quent to the passage of the crushed apples between the pressing rollers and after the cider has been separated from the pomace.

WVith these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :Figure l is a side elevation of the mill constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal section therethrough. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the machine. Fig. at is a transverse section through the machine, said section being taken on the line AB, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of a side arm of the cleaning bar and showing the off-set portion cooperating with the tappet.

Referring to the figures by'characters of reference C designates a skeleton frame constituting the body of the machine, and

arranged upon the top of this frame adjacent the front end thereof is a feed hopper 1 having a downwardly extendlng discharge spout 2. Located within the bottom portion of the hopper and at the upper end of the spout 2 is a crushing roll 3. This crushing roll 3 extends throughout the length of the hopper and is spaced equal distances from opposite walls thereof, said roller being of any preferred construction and preferably polygonal in transverse contour. The crushing roll may be driven in any preferred Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 6, 1908.

PatentedAug. 24:, 1909.

Serial No. 456,378.

manner as by means of a belt 4 extending over a pulley 5 movable with the roller, said belt receiving motion from a larger pulley G which may be driven by any suitable motor not shown. The pulley 6 is mounted on a main shaft 7 journaled on the front end of the frame C and a small pulley S is secured to and rotates with the shaft and drives a belt 9 which belt in turn drives a pulley 10 the shaft 11 of which is journaled within the frame C and carries the lower one of the pressing rolls 12. A tappet D in the form of a collar 13 and oppositely extending arms lat is keyed or otherwise secured to one end of the shaft 11 and is for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

Journaled within the frame C at points between the roll 12 and at the front end of the machine are supporting rolls 15 and 16 respectively located beyond opposite walls of the chute or spout 2. Another roll 17 is j ournaled in the frame C at the rear end thereof and at a point considerably removed from the bottom of the frame. These rolls 15, 16 and 17 support an apron 18 formed of a suitable fabric, said endless apron extending under additional rolls 19 and 20 mounted within the end portions of the frame C adjacent the bottom thereof.

Guides 21 extend upwardly at opposite sides of the ends of the shaft 11 and mounted between these guides and above said shaft are sliding boxes 22. Each of these slides has an arm 23 extending upwardly from the central portion thereof, there being a screw threaded recess 24: within each arm which receives, and is engaged by the threaded end of an adjusting stem 25. Each of these stems is swiveled in the upper portion of the frame C and carries a beveled gear 26 at its upper end, the gears of the two stems meshing with gears 27 mounted on a horizontally extending transverse shaft 28. Any suitable means, such for example as a hand wheel 29, may be provided for facilitating the rotation of the shaft 28, and, therefore, the simultaneous rotation of the two stems 25. It will be apparent therefore that by means of this mechanism the two sliding members 22 can be shifted vertically in either direction as desired. Journaled within these slides 22 are the end portions of a shaft 30 on which the upper pressing roll .31 of the mill is mounted. The shafts 11 and 30 are disposed in the same vertical plane and it will be obvious therefore that by adjusting the shaft 30 downwardly the roll 31 carried thereby can be shifted toward the roll 12 so as to increase or diminish the size of the pass between the rolls.

Rolls 32 and 33 are mounted within the upper portion of the frame C at opposite sides of the upper portion of roll '31 and mounted on these rolls and 33 is an endless apron which extends not only across the upper portion of-the roll 31 but also downwardly under said roll. The two aprons 3t and 18 contact atthe point where they pass under roll 31 and by adjusting said roll 31 the two aprons can be pressed together between rolls 12 and 31 with any desired degree of pressure. That portion of the lower ply of apron 3 1 which is located between rolls 31 and 32 is so inclined relative to the adjoining portion of the upper ply of apron 18 that they graduall =converge toward the pass between rolls 12 and 31. A. red 35 extends transversely within the frame C at a position between the rolls 16 and 32 and secured to and movable with this rod is a metal strip, 36, constituting a gate the lower edge of which rests loosely upon the upper ply of the-apron 18 close to the roll 16, said gate being inclined relative to the upper ply of the apron 18 and away from the spout 2. An arm 37 is located at one end of the rod 35 and by manipulating the same the gate 36 can be lifted out of contact with the apron 18. This arm is normally supported by a stop pin 38 extending from the frame C The two pressing rollers 12 and 31 may be constructed of any suitable material. They are preferably provided however with a wooden cylindrical core provided with a jacket 39 formed of a mixture of rubber and fiber.

That portion of the apron 18 located between the rolls 17 and 19 is disposed in the same plane as the rear end of the frame and is normally contacted by the middle portion 10 of a bail all the ends of which are inturned and journaled within the top of the frame G A link 12 is pivotally connected to one side of this bail and has a laterally off-set portion %3 at a point between its ends, said oif-set portion cooperating with the arms 14 of the tappet D so that an intermittent oscillating movement of the bail 4-1 will be produced while the tappet is rotating. A spring 14 connects one end of the link 12 with the frame C so as to hold the off-set a3 normally within the path of the tappet.

In using the machine herein described the apples to be pressed are placed within the hopper 1 and the rotating roll 3 will grind them so that they will be depositedv through the spout 2 onto the upper ply of the apron 18. This apron travels in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2 and when the crushed apples reach the gate 36 said gate will operate to distribute them evenly transversely-ofthe apron and will be lifted by the apples so that they will be free to pass thereunder in predetermined quantities. The necessary movement of the aprons 18 and "34 is produced by the frictional contact of the roll 12 therewith, the degree of pressure between the roll and the apron increasing in proportion to the distance between the two rolls 11 and 31. The crushed. apples are carried by the belt 18 under the lower side of the belt 3th, the two belts serving to gradually squeeze or press the fruit until it is brought between the two rolls 12 and 31 where the final pressing operation occurs. The cider separated from the pomace at this point flows downward into an inclined trough which discharges the cider into a transversely extending trough 16 lo 'ated beneath the upper ply of the belt 18 and below the spout Both of these troughs are provided at their sides with flanges 417 to prevent overflow and the lower trough 4:6 is designed to discharge the cider into any suitable receptacle provided therefor. After the fruit has passed between the crushing rolls 12 and 31 the pomace will be conveyed by the apron 18 to the rear end of the mill where it will be carried downwardly back of the bail 10. This bail is given an intermittent oscillating movement by the tappet D, the arms 14 of which successively strike the off-set- 43 so as to force the bail outwardly away from the apron 18, the spring 1- 1 operating to promptly return the bail to its initial position with sutlicient violence to cause it to strike the apron 18 and jar the pomac'e therefrom. It will be seen therefore that the apron 18 is maintained practically clean at all times and the same is always in condition to permit the cider to pass freely therethrough.

It is to be understood that by mounting the upper apron '34 upon two rollers 33, so as to correspond with the rollers 17 and 19 of apron 18, an agitating device similar to the bail 41 may be utilized in connection with the upper apron, so as to maintain said apron clean, said agitating device being operated in the same manner as is the bai-lstl.

Obviously, various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of the present invention.

What is claimed is 1. In a cider mill the combination with upper and lower crushing rolls, upper and lower endless aprons having their adjoining plies extending between the rolls the lower apron having a downwardly extending portion adjacent the rolls, an oscillating striking device extending transversely across the downwardly extending portion of the apron and beyond the sides of said apron, said device constituting a pomace-removing scraper, yielding means for holding said device normally against movement and in scraping position, and revoluble means for oscillating the striking device to jolt said downwardly extending port-ion of the lower apron.

2. A cider mill comprising upper and lower pressing elements, upper and lower endless aprons extending therebetween, said lower aprons having a downwardly extending pomace-carrying portion, a bail-like scraping and striking element pivotally supported adjacent, and normally contacting with said downwardly extending portion to constitute a pomace-removing scraper, a spring for yieldingly holding said element in normal position, and a revoluble tappet for oscillating the scraping and striking element, said element extending throughout the width of the apron.

3. A cider mill comprising upper and lower pressing elements, upper and lower endless aprons extending therebetween, a

gate extending transversely above the lower apron, and bearing at its lower edge upon said apron, said gate being mounted to swing upwardly and constituting spreading means, and means connected to the gate for facilitating the manual actuation thereof.

4. A cider mill comprising upper and lower pressing elements, upper and lower endless aprons extending thereloetween, said lower apron having a downwardly extending pomace-carrying portion, a bail-like striking element pivotally supported adjacent, and normally contacting with said downwardly extending portion, a spring-controlled link pivotally connected to the striking element and having an ofi-set, and a revoluble tappet cooperating with the oft-set to oscillate the striking element.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK H. BRETZ.

\Vitnesses:

J. A. SPAHR, S. BECK lumen. 

